STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Staten Island’s own Jordan Barone is ending the year on a sentimental note.
The 31-year-old R&B artist and producer, who’s been quietly building a devoted following over the past decade, is stepping into the holiday canon with “Holding On To Christmas,” a smooth, wistful Christmas single shaped by heartbreak and homespun creativity. The live music video, which leans all the way into its vintage holiday aesthetic, premieres today.
It’s a fitting full-circle moment for an artist the Advance/SILive.com last spoke to in 2015, back when Barone was known more for his behind-the-scenes engineering work than his own voice. He started in the industry as an audio engineer, working with artists from PnB Rock to Kehlani to Mac Miller, but over time, writing for other people wasn’t cutting it.
“I realized they didn’t want [the songs] because I was making them for myself,” Barone told the Advance/SILive.com. “I realized I’m the only person who can get these ideas out.”
Those ideas eventually became the foundation for his label, Red Planet Records, which he launched with his brother, Stefan (CEO). Alongside his role as COO, Barone was the label’s first artist, releasing a handful of R&B tracks in 2018 before slowing down to figure out his sound. Now, he said, he found it: a blend of smooth and emotional R&B delivered under a persona he’s coined the “Late Night Serenader.”
“People make music to turn up to on the weekends,” he said. “But there’s five other days during the week. I make music for the people that are in their cars, going to work and want a way out. So you can cry to my music, or you can enjoy my music and get smooth with it.”
Jordan Barone performing on stage.Courtesy of Jahtiek Long
“Holding On To Christmas,” though, was born from a slightly less philosophical place.
“Man, I was alone for the holidays,” he laughed. “I got out of a relationship and yeah, just felt alone. It was like the longing back for someone that you miss, wanting to spend that certain month of those holidays with someone.”
That longing sits at the center of the song’s lyrics, which gives a warm, yearning message wrapped in holiday glow. Barone opens with that quiet ache (“Been alone at night … I just want you back with me”), before leaning into the kind of sentimental daydreaming that defines December (“This time of year is when I think about you / Let’s go somewhere with a view / Or we can hit the mall and go and get you something new”).
The catchy chorus (“I’m holding on to Christmas / I hope I get my wishes”) turns the season itself into a stand-in for hope. But where the song leans melancholy, its music video leans classic Christmas movie.
Barone released the studio version on Nov. 28, then built a live rendition after a guitarist and bassist he frequently collaborates with jumped in wanting to add their parts. Before long, he had background singers, a fuller arrangement and a vision for a cozy, throwback-style music video.
The only problem? He needed a fireplace.
“I have a fireplace in my house, but there wasn’t enough room to accommodate everyone,” he said. After striking out on Brooklyn brownstones, he found the perfect Airbnb in Pennsylvania. So he, his band and his creative team packed the car — along with all the Christmas decorations from his home — and turned the rental into a full holiday set.
Behind-the-scenes of Jordan Barone’s “Holding On To Christmas” music video.Courtesy of Jahtiek Long
“I was like, I want the nutcrackers, the fire, the fake snow, the tree, all that stuff,” he said. “I wanted it to look like it was Christmas Day.” The final cut is intentionally grainy, leaning into the nostalgia.
The team behind the video includes Besart Ficic (Bizzaro Beats) on the electric guitar, Niall Sullivan on bass, Marcely Molina, Luz Ramos and Joy Ling on background vocals, producer Jorge Diaz (IamJD), Barone’s manager Victor Pellot at 6DegreesMGMT (“the transportation for everyone”), videographer Billy Perez, photographer Jahtiek Long and behind-the-scenes documenter Robert Martinez. Ficic and Pellot have also recently joined the Red Planet team as CIO and GM, respectively.
The Staten Island community, he said, is a huge part of his identity as an artist. Growing up in Huguenot, he always felt connected to the borough’s tight-knit, often overlooked creative scene. Being from the “forgotten borough” has given him something to prove.
“You say Staten Island, and they just look at you … you have to show that you’re worth it.” With Wu-Tang as the borough’s biggest musical legacy, Barone hopes to be next in line.
And as he prepares for what he calls a “takeover year” in 2026 — releasing more music, expanding his label and pushing further into R&B and pop — he’s keeping his roots close.
“I don’t think I’ll ever move too far away,” he said. “I like that little space away from the chaos.” In the meantime, he has a brand-new Christmas staple to share (possibly his “own Mariah thing every year,” he joked).
“Holding On To Christmas” is available now on all streaming platforms, including the original single, live version, sped up, slowed + reverbed and instrumental.
Watch the official music video for “Holding On To Christmas (Live)” below.